By Tejiri Ebikeme
A Nigerian based in Brazil, Rasta Orbada Clark, has described South African born but globally revered, Lucky Dube as a very humble person, saying he was just too nice to die.
In an interview at his Bem Vindo Hotel and Suites, Osubi, Okpe Local Government Area of Delta State on the 7th remembrance of Lucky Dube who was shot dead October 18, 2007, Rasta Orbada Clark, disclosed that he met Lucky Dube for the first time in 1992 in South Africa.
He revealed that he fixed the gate of Lucky Dube’s house in 1993, saying he was a great man to him.
According to him, he came from Brazil to Nigeria since September just to mark the 7th year remembrance of Lucky Dube back home, saying he was free to go back now as his mission has been accomplished with the successful celebration.
The rootman lamented that reggae music was dying fast in the Nigeria, but vowed to keep it alive for the sake of Lucky Dube, whom he said made him to know Soweto very well.
He said; “It was through the ‘translated’ Lucky Dube that I got to know Soweto very well. I knew him for about six years, a great and humble man indeed and I wept like a baby when I heard about his sudden death. I was in the United States when I received the shocking news of his death.
“He was a great friend of mine. We will be together forever. Lucky Dube was a very nice person. Living without him in the last seven years has not been easy; but he left behind his music full with social-political messages. My wife’s name is Lucky and so anytime I call my wife, my mind goes back to my good friend, Lucky Dube,” he stated.
The rootman added that; “Lucky Dube made me to remember my old time at the college of Education, Warri, where we founded reggae club with De Blenderz Band (Prince Perekeme and Perebibo). Lucky Dube revived my reggae life. He deserved to be remembered every day of our life, especially October 18 when he ‘translated’ because Rastas never die. I will continue to organize Lucky dube’s day till my last day. Every year he will be celebrated in a special way. I do not care about the cost. I made over 150 T-shirts of Lucky Dube for this year’s remembrance and I gave all of them out free to fans. We are not going to allow reggae music to die because it gives us joy: Lucky Dube made me to love reggae music more than ever before.”
Lucky Dube, he disclosed, was always welcoming visitors to his house with fruits, saying that; “On a visit to his house Lucky Dube welcomes you with fruits. His massive table never lacked fruits, he will always tell you to go and wet your throat with fruits on arrival in his house. For according to him, that will always make you to remember the green, yellow and red colour. And so on October 18, 2014, I started his 7th year remembrance with fruits. The first entertainment that I gave to people on that day was fruits.”
“Lucky Dube was a very marvelous person, he has no comparism. He lived a very free life and he was down to earth with everybody; too humble. We must keep the spirit of this man who was the first black man to play in a white man’s bar in South Africa live. He united blacks and whites in South Africa and such a person must be remembered always. To me, Lucky Dube is not dead, because Rastas never die, he only translated to Jah above and we shall meet in the gate of Zion one day,” Rasta Orbada Clark stated.
